Solid-state optical ring counter employing electroluminescent and photoconductive elements

Claim 1

AN OPTICAL PULSE COUNTER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF COUNTER STAGES ARRANGED IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE CONTIGUOUSLY ALONG AN ARCUATE PATH FORMING A CLOSED LOOP, EACH STAGE COMPRISING AN INSULATIVE TRANSPARENT PLANAR MEMBER TO SUPPORT EACH COUNTER STAGE AND TO FORM AN INDIVIDUAL UNITARY ELEMENT OF THE COUNTER TO ENABLE SAID COUNTER STAGES TO BE SUPPORTED ALONG SAID ARCUATE PATH, A FIRST TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER ON SAID TRANSPARENT PLANAR MEMBER, A LAYER OF PHOTOCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL ON SAID CONDUCTIVE LAYER, A LAYER OF ELECTROLUMINESCENT MATERIAL ON SAD PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER, AND A SECOND TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER ON SAID ELECTROLUMINESCENT LAYER, SAID STAGES BEING SO DISPOSED THAT THE INSULATIVE TRANSPARENT PLANAR MEMBER OF ONE STAGE IS IN CONTACT WITH THE SECOND TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER OF THE NEXT ADJACENT STAGE, AN ARCUATE OPAQUE STRUCTURE FOR HOUSING SAID STAGES, SAID HOUSING STRUCTURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES THEREIN, EACH APERTURE BEING DISPOSED OPPOSITE A PHOTOCONDUCTIVE LAYER OF ONE OF SAID STAGES, MEANS FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING THE FIRST TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER OF EACH STAGE TO ONE ANOTHER, FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS, MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SECOND TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER OF EACH ALTERNATE STAGE TO SAID FIRST INPUT TERMINAL, MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE SECOND TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE LAYER OF THE OTHER ALTERNATE STAGES TO SAID SECOND INPUT TERMINAL, A POWER SOURCE, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO PULSES TO BE COUNTED FOR ALTERNATELY CONNECTING SAID POWER SOURCE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND INPUT TERMINALS.